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20 Epic Facts About The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Between on-set injuries, extensive script changes, and one whopper of a casting process, it’s amazing that a single film was produced at all.
BOOKS
8 Hand-Drawn Maps and Illustrations from a 16th-Century Navigational Guide
Les Premières Œuvres de Jacques Devaulx showed the way to the New World in 1583.
To Kill a Mockingbird Just Became Broadway’s Highest-Grossing American Play Ever
The previous record was held by ‘All the Way,’ a play featuring Bryan Cranston as Lyndon Johnson.
15 Fascinating Facts About Isaac Asimov
In the 1950s, Isaac Asimov wrote a series of six science fiction novels for children using the pseudonym Paul French.
10 Behind-the-Scenes Photos of North Korea
Oliver Wainwright's Inside North Korea provides a visual tour of the isolated nation.
George RR Martin Says Some Game of Thrones Fans Have Correctly Guessed How It Ends
The author is talking about the books, which may or may not end the same way as the HBO series.
11 Secrets of Children’s Book Authors
They write for the parents, too.
6 Little-Known Maps by the 19th Century's Most Famous Infographic Designer
Charles-Joseph Minard's map of Napoleon's invasion of Russia has been called the best statistical graphic ever created.
5 Ways Grimm's Fairy Tales Changed After the First Edition
We rounded up some of the more surprising aspects of the first edition that were later cleaned up or scrubbed from the text altogether.
JK Rowling Was Asked to Play Harry's Mom Lily in the Harry Potter Films
Technically, the author did give birth to the boy wizard.
George RR Martin Just Gave Us a Peek at Game of Thrones’s Ice Spiders
They terrified Old Nan—and now we understand why.
5 Facts About Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson, the famed author of 'The Lottery' and 'The Haunting of Hill House,' claimed to be a witch.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Almost Had a Different Title
'Harry Potter and the Death Eaters' was one of a few other titles in the running.
George RR Martin Swears He'll Finish The Winds of Winter—He Just Won't Say When
The next book in the 'A Song of Fire and Ice' series has been a tough one for the author.
Harry Potter Fans Can Have Dinner at Hogwarts This Christmas
It's guaranteed to be as snowy as it is magical.
You Can View a Rare First Edition of Encyclopedia Britannica Online
The first edition featured 39 pages on horse diseases.
5 Controversial Facts About Melvil Dewey and the Dewey Decimal System
The library classification system isn't perfect—and neither was its creator.
JK Rowling Confirms She Has Finished Writing Fantastic Beasts 3
Though the 'Harry Potter' author didn't offer much in the way of details, she did promise that "Answers are given."
Mental Floss's 56 Best Books of 2018
Of the hundreds of books that crossed our desks in 2018, these were our favorites.
The One Harry Potter Character JK Rowling Regrets Killing Off
"I seemed to have him kidnapped and killed for no good reason."
The Shining Sequel Has Wrapped Production
Ewan McGregor will play the grown-up version of Danny Torrance in 'Doctor Sleep.'
10 Fascinating Facts About Madeleine L'Engle
The 'A Wrinkle in Time' author, who would have turned 100 years old today, saw her most famous work get rejected 26 times.
Netflix Is Adapting Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Other Roald Dahl Tales Into an Animated Series
The sequel, 'Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator,' could also be filmed for the first time.
See How Much J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and Other Top Authors Earn in One Minute
Prepare to be depressed.